Conveying apparatus



Jan. 6, 1942. w. R. BOYER I CONVEYING APPARATUS 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 FiledFeb. 28, 1941 wmz/wmi I III wtxw Jan. 6. 1942. w R, BQYER CONVEYINGAPPARATUS Filed Feb. 28, 1941 4 Sheets Sheet 2 INVENTOR Jan. 6, 1942. wR, OYER 2,268,693

CONVEYING APPARATUS Filed Feb. 28, l94 1 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Jan. 6, 1942.w, R, BQYER 2,268,693

CONVEYING APPARATUS Filed Feb. 28, 1941 4 Sheets-Sheet '4 I'm/IT. mINVENTOR 4mm f2? a z m mw Patented Jan. 6, 1942 CONVEYING APPARATUSWilliam R. Boyer, Oakmont, Pa., assignor to Blaw-Knox Company, acorporation of New Jersey Application February 28,1941, Serial No.381,073

5 Claims.

This invention relates to conveying apparatus, and particularly to apiece of equipment known in mill-parlance as an up-ender, used in stripmills in the conveyance of coils of strip metal. The objects in view arethe correcting and overcoming of imperfections and'inadequacies ofup-enders heretofore used, and the handling of coils of such materialunder mill conditions with expedition and with avoidance of marring ordisfiguring of the material handled.

In the accompanying drawings Fig. I is a view showing in elevation andsection means for taking up the burden of a coil of strip, for removingit from the spindle of a coiler, and for bringing it to position in theup-ender. Fig. 11 is a view in side elevation of the up-ender of-thisinvention. Figs. 11!, IV, and V are fragmentary views, showing theup-ender to larger scale; Fig. III is a view in side elevation, Fig. IVin end elevation, and Fig. V in plan. Fig. VI is a fragmentary view tostill larger scale and in vertical section, on the plane indicated atVI-VI, Fig. V. Fig. VII is a wiring diagram.

The up-ender consists essentially of a coil-handling block I pivoted ona standard 2. The coilhandling block has two table-like supporting armsthat extend in planes at right angles to one another. As seen in Figs.11 and III, the upper face of arm 3 extends horizontally, while theopposed face of arm 4 rises vertically from the righthand end of thehorizontal face of arm 3. Means are provided for swinging the block Iupon the standard through a range of 90 and in clockwise direction fromthe position shown in Fig. 11. The means here shown consist in a motor34 which, through suitable transmission drives a pinion 31. The pinion3| meshes with a segmental rack 32 that forms an integral part of blockI. From the shaft that carries pinion 31 a limit switch 33 may beoperated, to bring the block I precisely to the limit of its range ofintendedswing in either or in both directions.

In the course of operation a coil of strip of essentially cylindricalshape is brought to position, resting upon its side upon arm 3. Theblock I is then first turned slightly inclockwise direction, whereuponthe heavy coil slidesupon arm 3 until it comes to endwise abutment uponthe face of arm 4. The turning of the block I is then continued untilthe face of arm 4 comes to horizontal position, and when this has beendone the coil rests on its end and with its whole weight upon arm 4. Thearm 4 is so particularly constructed as to allow the fingers of suitablelifting apparatus (not shown) to be intruded beneath the coil, and uponthose fingers the coil is raised and borne away. Such arethe generalfeatures and characteristics of up-enders heretofore in service.

This invention is found inrefinements in detail of such a structure. Ithas been usual to equip the coil-receiving arm (the arm 30f block I)with a double line of rollers, to receive and sustainjthe coil and tofacilitate the advance of the coil to abutment upon the face of thecoil-delivering arm 4; the rollers must be such in contour of surface asto receive coils of widely varying diameters; and, with rollers shapedto the requirements indicated, there has been unavoidable marring ofheavy coils by the indentation .of these rollers. Y

This invention involves the'pr ovision of a carriage mounted to move inright-line course upon the coil-receiving arm of the up-ender indirection of advance toward and recession from the coil-delivery arm andadapted immediately to receive the coil and to sustain the coilwithoutmovement of the coil upon it, while movement of the carriage itselfbrings the coil to end abut ment upon the face of the coil-deliveringarm of the up-ender. The carriage is provided with a seat upon whichcoils of widelyvarying sizes and weights may be rested, andtheup-enderwill handle the coils Without any marring. z I

The arm 3 conveniently takes the double for best seen in Figs. IV and Vand consists of two spaced-apart symmetrical portions Bil, 30. carriage5 is formed of the square-cornered U shape best seen in Fig. V, with theopening of-the U to the left. The spacing of the opposite branches ofthe U corresponds to that of the portions 30 of the arm. The carriage issustained by the resting of the plates that form its opposite parallelbranches upon rollers 6 idly journaled in the portions 30 of the armitself. The carriage is further provided with rows of rollers I thatturn idly upon vertical axes, and that engage properly disposed verticalsurfaces 8 upon the arm, to take care of lateral thrust'and to hold themoving car to aligned position. Overlapping ledges 9, l0 duplicated uponthe two sides of the double structure, secure the carriage againstaccidental overturning.

Along the inner edges of the branches of the U-shaped carriage extendrails ll. Upon these rails in the operation of the up-ender the coil isbrought immediately to rest. The rails areof upwardly rounded contour.Fig. IV indicates in broken lines the positions A and. B of two coils,one of small diameterand weight and the other The of large, at rest uponrails II. It may be understood that the smaller diameter thus indicatedis twenty-six inches and the larger sixty. It will be seen that in bothcases (and, of course, in the case of any intermediate size) thecylindrical coil rests tangentially upon the rounded contours of therails; and it will be understood that the weight of the load isdistributed on lines of contact throughout the width of the coil ofstrip. The Weight being so distributed, there is no indentation.

Fluid-pressure cylinders I2 (conveniently pneumatic), duplicated uponthe two sides, are provided to return the carriage from coil-deliveringto coil-receiving position upon the arm portions 30, 30. These cylindersare mounted upon the double arm, and the stems of their pistons aresecured to the two branches of the U-shaped carriage. They aresingle-acting cylinders, ported to the air at the piston-rod end. Thecompressed-air feed to the driving end of the cylinder (the right-handend, Figs. III, V) is through flexible connections 23 (Fig. VII), topermit the free swing of the up-ender.

When a coil has been brought to rest upon rails -'I I, and (after aslight turning of the block I) the carriage is to roll under gravityfrom left to right (Fig. HI) and bring the coil to end abutment upon theface of arm 4, the cylindermust be ported at the driving end as well,inorder that gravity may be thus effective. The apparatus ofthe inventionincludes means for automatically establishing that condition.

The continuity of one of the rails II is broken, andin the gap is set alever I3, pivoted between blocks I4 and I5. The contour of the blocksand of the exposedend of the lever corresponds to that of therails, butthe lever is normally held under spring tensionin the slightlyprotruding position indicated in Fig. VI by full lines. The point in theextent-of the rail where the lever I3 is stationed is substantially thatto which the centre ofa coil, whether wide or narrow, is brought in theoperation of the apparatus. When a coil is applied, its weight broughtto bear upon lever I3 swings the lever against spring tension to thedotted-line position, Fig. VI, and in so doing closes a switch I6 in anelectric circuit I1 (cf. Fig. VII) 7 The energizing of circuit lleffects the traverse of an armature I8 of an electro-magnet and theshifting of a three-way valve I9, with the consequence and effect thatthe line of pneumatic pressure from a source (not shown) to thecylinders I2 is cut, and the cylinders are vented to the air. It will beunderstood that this valve control, diagrammatically illustrated in Fig.VII, is effective upon both of the two .cylinders I2. When therestraining presence of a coil in place upon the rails II is removed,the lever I3 swings back under spring tension to normal position and inso doing opens switch- I6. Thereupon valve I9 resumes its normalposition and pneumatic pressure is restored to cylinders I2. Theright-to-left traverse of the pistons (Fig. III) is precisely limited;the carriage has a range of traverse that may, for example, be fifteeninches.

In operation a buggy 20, Fig. I, is run to positionbeneath a coil C ofstrip upon a spindle 2| upon which it has been coiled, and a lift 22mounted on the buggy is operated to take the weightof the coil; Thebuggy is then run along its tracks, removing the coil from the spindleand bringingit to position above the rails II of the up-ender. The liftthen is lowered, the coil is deposited on the rails, and the buggy isrun away. The lowering of the coil to position on the rails effects theclosing of switch I6, and the venting to the air of the cylinders I2that had brought the carriage to coil-receiving position follows. Theblock I is then turned clockwise (Fig. II) through a slight angle, andthereupon carriage 5 rolls down the slight declivity until the coilabuts upon the face of arm 4. Continued turning of the block I through arange of ninety degrees brings the coil to position, resting on end andwith its whole weight upon arm 4. Removal of the coil from 4 follows, inconventional manner. Immediately upon release from the confiningengagement of the coil,'the lever I3 swings under spring tension to itsnormal position. In so doing it effects the opening of switch I6.Thereupon valves I9 return to normal position, pneumatic pressure isrestored within cylinders I2 and the carriage returns to coil-receivingposition and'is held there. It remains only to swing the up-enderinretrograde turning to its initial position.

Manifestly the pneumatic cylinders might be made double acting, to shiftthe carriage toward the arm 4, but it has been found adequate to effectthat shift by gravity, as is usual. in upenders. a

I claim as my invention: I

1. In an up-ender for a cylindrical burden consisting of apivotallymounted block with two angularly extending arms, the invention hereindescribed which consists of a carriage mounted upon one arm and having aseat for a burden formed of tWo parallel rails that extend in directionperpendicular to the face of the other arm, the carriage being movablein its mounting in right-line course and in the direction in which therails extend, whereby the carriage is adapted to receive a coil restingby its cylindrical side upon the rails and to carry the so restingcoilto end abutment upon such otherarm.

2. In an up-ender for a cylindrical burden consisting of a pivotallymounted block with two angularly extending arms, the invention hereindescribed, of acarriage adapted to receive the burden, mounted upon oneof the arms and movable in'its mounting in right-line course toward andaway from the other arm, and means rendered temporarilyinefiective bythe weight of the burden when in place on the carriage for moving thecarriage away from such other arm.

3. In an up-ender for a cylindrical burden that consists of a. pivotallymounted block with two angularly extending arms, the invention hereindescribed of a burden-receiving carriage mounted upon one of said armsand movable in its mounting toward and away from the other arm, afluid-pressure cylinder mounted upon said block and'having a piston withwhich the said carriage is operatively connected, a fluid-pressureconduit leading to said cylinder, and means operated'by the weight ofthe burden when received by the carriage for interrupting communicationthrough said conduit and venting said cylinder to the air.

4.'In an up-ender for a cylindrical burden that consists of a pivotallymounted block with two angularly extending arms, the invention hereindescribed of aburden-receiving carriage mounted upon one of said armsand movable in its mounting toward and away from the other arm, afluid-pressure cylinder mounted upon said blockand having a piston withwhich the said carriage is operatively connected, a fluid-pres- 5. In anup-ender for a cylindrical burden consisting of a pivotally mountedblock with two angularly extending arms, the invention herein 10described which consists of a carriage mounted upon one arm and having aseat for a burden formed of two parallel rails that extend in directionperpendicular to the face of the other arm, the carriage being movablein its mounting in the direction in which the rails extend, afluidpressure cylinder borne by said block and adapted to shift saidcarriage away from such other arm, a spring-backed lever adapted to beswung against spring tension by a burden when brought to position onsaid rails, and means responsive to the swinging of said lever forrendering said fluid-pressure cylinder inefiective.

WILLIAM R. BOYER.

DISCLAIMER William R. Boyer, Oakmont, Pa. CONVEYING APPARATUS. Patentdated Disclaimer filed June 17, 1943, by the assignee, Blaw-Knom January6, 1941. Company. Hereby enters disclaimer to claim 1 of said patent.

[Oflicial Gazette July 18, 1943.]

